第九週   那地有石榴樹

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詩歌：補442

讀經： 申八8， 出二八33 ～ 34， 王上七18 ～20，歌四3 下，13 上，彼後一3 ～ 8

【週一】

壹 在聖經裏石榴表徵生命的豐滿、生命的豐盛和美麗、以及生命豐富的彰顯—申八8，出二八33 ～ 34，王上七18 ～ 20，歌四3 下，13 上：

一 一個成熟的石榴連同其子粒，給人的印象是生命的豐滿與生命的豐盛和美麗。

二 我們若經歷並享受基督作小麥、大麥、葡萄樹和無花果樹，我們身上就會有基督生命的豐盛，我們也會帶着基督的美麗，這就是經歷基督作石榴樹。

三 我們若在生命上長大成熟，我們就要成爲石榴—西二19，一28：

1 我們越因着愛主耶穌，而樂意受祂管理並約束，就越在生命裏長大—13，28 節。

【週二】

2 我們若看見包羅萬有並延展無限之基督的異象，就會把我們的全人集中在這位基督身上，祂就要充滿並浸透我們—12 節，二9，16 ～ 17，三10 ～ 11：

a 我們全人會被這位寬廣、有追測不盡豐富、延展無限的基督所佔有—弗三18。

b 在我們，活着就會是這位據有我們、充滿我們、並以祂自己佔有我們的基督—腓一20 ～ 21 上，弗三17 上。

3 在基督裏成熟，就是被基督充滿、浸透並浸潤—西一28：

a 這乃是我們全人的每一部分都被基督佔有—弗三17上，加四19。

b 這就是在生命裏長大並在生命裏成熟，這也是經歷歌羅西書所啓示之基督的結果—二9，19，三4，10 ～ 11。

【週三】

貳 石榴和金鈴是在大祭司外袍（表徵召會）底邊的部分—出二八33 ～ 34：

一 召會在她的人性裏該滿了生命，這就是用細麻作的石榴的意義。

二 召會有人性爲着彰顯生命的豐滿，也有神性爲着發出金鈴的聲音：

1 生命的豐滿彰顯在召會的人性裏，而警告的聲音則彰顯在召會的神性（金鈴）裏。

2 首先我們有生命豐滿的彰顯，然後有金鈴的響聲，那就是出自召會之神性的說話。

3 生命的華美彰顯在我們的人性裏，並有神聖的聲音從金鈴而來，這些乃是正確召會生活的標記。

【週四】

叁 在殿中環繞兩根柱子上之柱頂的二百個石榴，表徵生命豐富的彰顯—王上七18 ～20，代下三15 ～ 16，耶五二22 ～ 23：

一 審判自己的人（銅），不重看自己的人，能在錯綜複雜的光景中（裝修的格子網和擰成的鍊索形成的花圈）完全承擔責任，因爲他們不是憑自己，乃是憑信靠神（刻着百合花）而活；因此，他們二百倍的顯出生命的豐富（石榴）—王上七15 ～ 22。

二 每一百個石榴中，九十六個是外露的，四個是遮蓋的—耶五二22 ～ 23：

1 生命豐富的彰顯是永遠完全的，在復活的新鮮中，也在那靈裏。

2 每一百個石榴中有四個是隱藏的，這指明我們天然的所是、我們天然的生命、以及我們的己，必須遮蓋起來。

3 當我們天然的人消失時，我們就有九十六個石榴，就是基督的生命在屬靈空氣的實際中豐富的彰顯。

【週五】

肆 按照雅歌，石榴在個別信徒與基督愛的交通進展的經歷中，具有屬靈的意義—歌四3下，13 上，六7，11，七12，八2 下：

一 『你的兩腮在帕子內，如同一塊石榴』—四3下，六7。

二 『我下到堅果園，要看谷中青綠的植物，要看葡萄發芽沒有，石榴開花沒有』—11 節。

三 『我們清晨起來往葡萄園去，看看葡萄發芽開花沒有，石榴放蕊沒有；我在那裏要將我的愛情給你』—七12。

四 『我要使你喝石榴汁釀的香酒』—八2 下。

五 『你所種的萌芽，成了石榴園，有佳美的果子』—四13 上：

1 在基督對佳偶的享受裏，她是關鎖的園，生長各種不同顏色的植物，作內裏生命不同的彰顯，也生長許多不同香味的植物，作成熟生命豐富的彰顯—13 ～ 14 節。

2 這成了佳偶對主所顯的美麗；現今基督的佳偶在生命上是豐富的，產生果子滋養並復甦人，發出甜美的香氣，並展現美麗的色彩，作基督的享受。

【週六】

伍 在彼後一章三至八節，我們有藉着享受神聖性情而有之優越美德的發展：

一 『一切關於生命和敬虔的事』，乃是神聖生命的不同方面，由美地出產的豐富所豫表—3 節：

1 生命是在裏面叫我們活着，敬虔是在外面作我們內裏生命的外在彰顯。

2 生命是內裏的能力，內裏的力量，產生外在的敬虔，引到並致成榮耀。

二 信可視爲生命包羅萬有的種子，愛是這種子得着完全發展的果子—3，8 節。

三 至終，我們有在生命上完全的發展和成熟，從信的種子，經過美德和知識的根，節制的榦，以及忍耐和敬虔的枝子，到弟兄相愛和愛的花與果子—5 ～ 8 節。

Week Nine

A Land of Pomegranates

Hymns: 1161

Scripture Reading: Deut. 8:8; Exo. 28:33-34; 1 Kings 7:18-20; S. S. 4:3b, 13a; 2 Pet. 1:3-8

§ Day 1

I. In the Bible pomegranates signify the fullness of life, the abundance and beauty of life, and the expression of the riches of life—Deut. 8:8; Exo. 28:33-34; 1 Kings 7:18-20; S. S. 4:3b, 13a:

A. A ripe pomegranate with its seeds gives the impression of the fullness of life and of the abundance and beauty of life.

B. If we experience and enjoy Christ as wheat, barley, the vine, and the fig tree, the abundance of the life of Christ will be with us, and the beauty of Christ will be about us; this is the experience of Christ as the pomegranate.

C. If we grow in life to maturity, we will become pomegranates—Col. 2:19; 1:28:

1. The more we are willing to be ruled and restricted by the Lord Jesus out of our love for Him, the more we will grow in life—vv. 13, 28.

§ Day 2

2. If we see the vision of the all-inclusiveness and extensiveness of Christ, we will concentrate our whole being on this Christ, and He will fill and saturate us—v. 12; 2:9, 16-17; 3:10-11:

a. Our being will be occupied with the vast, unsearchably rich, extensive Christ—Eph. 3:18.

b. To us to live will be the Christ who takes possession of us and fills and occupies us with Himself—Phil. 1:20-21a; Eph. 3:17a.

3. To be full-grown in Christ is to be filled, saturated, and permeated with Christ—Col. 1:28:

a. This is to have every part of our being occupied with Christ—Eph. 3:17a; Gal. 4:19.

b. This is the growth in life and the maturity in life, the issue of experiencing the Christ revealed in Colossians—2:9, 19; 3:4, 10-11.

§ Day 3

II. Pomegranates and golden bells were on the bottom part of the high priests robe, which signifies the church—Exo. 28:33-34:

A. The church should be full of life in her humanity; this is the significance of pomegranates made of linen.

B. The church has humanity for the expression of the fullness of life and also divinity for the sounding of the golden bells:

1. The fullness of life is expressed in the churchs humanity, but the voice of warning is expressed in the churchs divinity (the golden bells).

2. We first have the expression of the fullness of life and then the sounding of the golden bells, that is, the speaking from the divinity of the church.

3. The beauty of life expressed in our humanity and the divine sounding from the  golden bells are signs of a proper church life.

§ Day 4

III. The two hundred pomegranates surrounding the capitals at the top of the pillars in the temple signify the expression of the riches of life—1 Kings 7:18-20; 2 Chron. 3:15-16; Jer. 52:22-23:

A. Those who judge themselves (bronze) and regard themselves as nothing will be able to bear responsibility in full in the midst of an intermixed and complicated situation (nets of checker work and wreaths of chain work) because they live not by themselves but by faith in God (lily work); thus, they express the riches of life two hundredfold (pomegranates)—1 Kings 7:15-22.

B. Out of every one hundred pomegranates, ninety-six were exposed to the open air, and four were covered—Jer. 52:22-23:

1. The expression of the riches of life is eternally complete, in the freshness of resurrection, and in the Spirit.

2. The fact that four of every one hundred pomegranates were hidden indicates that our natural being, our natural life, and our self must be concealed.

3. When our natural being disappears, we have the ninety-six pomegranates, the rich expression of the life of Christ in the reality of the spiritual air.

§ Day 5

IV. According to Song of Songs, pomegranates have a spiritual significance in the progressive experience of an individual believers loving fellowship with Christ—4:3b, 13a; 6:7,11; 7:12; 8:2b:

A. "Your cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate/Behind your veil"—4:3b; 6:7.

B. "I went down to the orchard of nuts / To see the freshness of the valley, / To see whether the vine had budded, / Whether the pomegranates were in bloom"—v. 11.

C. "Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded, / If the blossom is open, / If the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love"—7:12.

D. "I would make you drink spiced wine / From the juice of my pomegranate"—8:2b.

E. "Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates / With choicest fruit"— 4:13a:

1. In Christs enjoyment of His lover, she is an enclosed garden that grows all kinds of plants in different colors as different expressions of the inner life and in a variety of fragrances as the rich expression of the mature life—vv. 13-14.

2. This becomes the lovers beauty to the Lord; the lover of Christ is now rich in life, producing fruits to nourish and refresh, giving forth sweet fragrances, and displaying beautiful colors for Christs enjoyment.

§ Day 6

V. In 2 Peter 1:3-8 we have the development of the excellent virtues through the enjoyment of the divine nature:

A. "All things which relate to life and godliness" are the various aspects of the divine life typified by the riches of the produce of the good land—v. 3:

1. Life is within, enabling us to live, and godliness is without as the outward expression of the inward life.

2. Life is the inward energy, the inward strength, to bring forth the outward godliness, which leads to and results in glory.

B. Faith may be considered the all-inclusive seed of life, and love, the fruit in its full development—vv. 3, 8.

C. Eventually, we will have the full development and maturity in life from the seed of faith, through the roots of virtue and knowledge, the trunk of self-control, and the branches of endurance and godliness, to the blossom and the fruit of brotherly love and love—vv. 5-8.